The Cabell County Community Services Organization and the City of Huntington West Virginia chose a location in the heart of West Huntington’s Old Central City district for a new senior center.  The building sits on an abandoned railroad right of way which intersects 14^th Street West, a vibrant antique district.  ETA partnered with Lifespan Design Studio as senior center design specialists for the project.  The design team developed a 3,500 square foot layout which optimizes ease of access and use by seniors, including rethinking the typical layout of a senior center by creating an interior central lobby which acts as a hub for activities within the building, including a medical triage and treatment space, fitness room, and a large, gathering space which can be divided into two spaces for exercise classes, dining, games, and activities.  An outdoor patio relates to the public gazebo structure to the east, enhancing interaction with community events.  The butterfly roof extends over the patio with slender, angled steel supports to shade from the western sun.  The interior and exterior are elevated with elegant, natural materials and furnishings designed by ETA’s interior design team.  The building serves as an extension of the vibrant streetscape, and will serve as a resource for the community for years to come.

In 2021, the Bluefield State University acquired the Bluefield Regional Medical Center and has been converting the former hospital into academic and student housing facilities for the campus. The second floor is being renovated in phases as the Medical Education Center, to provide space for the College of Allied Health Professions. Phase 1 will open in the Spring of 2025 and involved the renovation of 12,000 square feet of the East Wing of the second floor for the Associate and Bachelor of Science of Nursing programs. Phase 2 will include renovating the West Wing for the Radiologic Technology and Sonography programs and the South Wing for the Administrative Suite and Respiratory Therapy program. The conversion of the floor has focused around creating student-centered spaces for collaboration, including study space (many of the institution’s students are commuters and need space on campus to spend time during the day) as well as computer labs for assessment, simulation labs, and flexible, multifunctional learning spaces. ETA’s interior team designed furniture and finishes for this project, ensuring the design vision was fully realized down to the last detail.

The site for the building is in Hamor Village, a local shopping plaza. The clean, white, exterior cladding of brick and metal panels serves as a bright background for rainbow-patterned, vertical steel louvers that wrap around the building. The louvers are positioned to reduce heat gain through the large windows that allow for views and daylight from the interior. A small green space was included for the dentistry staff’s pets, adding to the fun, unexpected design.

The client requested exciting patterns and vibrant colors to create a fun, comfortable and welcoming space for patients and staff. The 8,157 square foot, two story building has eight hygiene bays and eight operatory bays, each featuring a large window. The hygiene area is open, with colorful, suspended resinous panels defining semi-private treatment areas. Operatory bays are enclosed with solid walls, with storage and handwashing nooks facing the hallway. The floor plan is configured with a central, linear sterilization area accessed from both the hygiene and operatory bays. One, enclosed hygiene and operatory bay was designed to meet the needs of all patients. The dentist’s office is placed on a corner within the operatory suite, with interior glass to allow for observation. Other staff offices are located in the center of the plan, facilitating access and flow.

The second floor of the building is entirely dedicated to staff space, including a changing area with laundry facilities and shower, and a large, open break room with kitchen, dining and living zones.

The building is served by a geothermal, water source heat pump system. The hydronic system and heat pumps are tied to 9, 400-foot-deep geothermal wells. Heat is removed from the building and transferred into the wellfield in the summer and absorbed from the wellfield and put back into the building during the winter. The system is easy to maintain over time with no boilers, chillers, or cooling towers to maintain and replace.

Click here for a video about the incredible work that Compass Wellness Center is doing…

The Cabell County Board of Education determined that the Highlawn community would keep its treasured elementary school, and provided a new site within the neighborhood.  The complex nature of utilizing an urban site for a new elementary school presented a network of logistical issues for the project team to navigate, including the demolition of an existing school structure, the closure of a city alley, rerouting of existing utility lines, and the renovation of the existing gymnasium structure. The design concept separated the bus loop, parent drop-off loop, and staff parking and service access, to avoid traffic congestion. The building footprint is a ‘U’ shape that allows for passive security by creating an interior courtyard that contains the playground area. The dining room features a sloping roof form articulated by wooden beams and decking. The Media Center also features a two-story space connecting the first floor library to the second floor STEAM lab.